Troy, you wrote: I say that all to say I don't want to read a book written a white man telling a Black family's story from the Black family's perspective. What I would want to read. possibly, is Outlaw's story from the white person's perspective. Which story are you telling? I’m telling Wyatt’s story from a white person’s perspective. I was born in 1942 of a working class family in High Point, NC. My father worked in a hosiery mill all his life and had only a 5th grade education. I grew up living next to a Black neighborhood. I did not witness any of the violent acts you mention, some of which occur with considerable brutality in my novel, but segregation, white and colored water fountains, the absence of Blacks in schools, swimming pools, movie theaters, etc. had a big impact on me. I was the first and last in my family to go to college. I use a third person limited point of view in present tense so you're there when it occurs. When Wyatt is whipped by pattyrollers, you feel his pain. Although my narrator is never named or described, I think you would quickly realize it's from a facetious white perspective. It mocks Faucette, Wyatt's father and plantation owner. It mocks the white Union officers who disrespect Wyatt and his cavalry friend, etc. Most of the story is from a Black character's perspective, Wyatt or his mother, who also is a heroine in the end. My goal is to make it onto a bestsellar list for Black readers. You probably know that the "Short Happy Life" of my title alludes to Hemingway's story. I use Hemingway’s stark writing style with short, readable chapters. I realize that time in our country's sordid history has been written do death, and parts of my novel sound like cliches because of that. For example, the jumping-the-broom scene when Wyatt and Rachel get “married.” But I tried and hope I achieved a fresh approach. Unlike Trump's cronies, I trust the expert, in this case you. Do you think Black readers will respond to my story? If you find this intriguing at all, I ask for your help in marketing my novel without breaking my bank account. I would love for you or a trusted colleague to read parts or all of my novel and tell me if you think Black readers will respond to it. If you don't think it's worth your time or trouble, I understand and I'll quit bothering you. If you think it's worth a try, I'll consider spending to promote it on your site. Can you get a better price through Ingram's than I get with author copies? Can we sell it from your site and cut out Ingram and am*zon? Maybe you have contracts that forbid that kind of collusion. Wouldn't it be refreshing to have an old white man (me) working together with a young book consultant like you?